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Maximize your checking: Compare high-yield checking accounts, no-fee checking accounts and more.

Explore checking basics

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From no fees to online bill pay, here are the must-have checking account features.
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If you overdraw your account frequently, then overdraft protection could be a good way to avoid hefty overdraft fees.
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Checks aren’t as ubiquitous as they once were, but you may still have to write one.

Get started with a checking account

Checking

Types of checking accounts

Whether you’re making payments online, using a debit card, or writing a physical check, a checking account is a necessity for most people. Here are some of the most-widely available types of checking accounts offered at banks and credit unions.

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Checking

Available balance vs. current balance

Learn about the two separate balances you may see when looking at your bank account.

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Checking account fees

Learn about the different kinds of checking account fees and what you can do to avoid them.

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Checking

Bank account alerts to protect your money

Explore the types of bank account alerts you can set up to help you stay informed about your finances whenever and wherever you are.

 

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Experts in all things banking

Our expert reporters and editors bring the news and analysis you need—backed by data and firsthand experience.

About Bankrate
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Stephen Kates, CFP Arrow Right Icon

Bankrate Financial Analyst

Sarah Foster

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Principal U.S. Economy Reporter

Mark Hamrick

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Senior Economic Analyst

Latest articles

This old-school way of paying is still in demand. Here’s everything you need to know.
A young man uses an ATM.
Over time, ATM fees have climbed. Here’s what you need to know.
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Finding the account number on a check is easy — if you know where to look.
close up of hands signing a check
Checks aren’t as ubiquitous as they once were, but you may still have to write one.
Young woman using the ATM
Knowing your ATM withdrawal limits can make a sudden need for cash easier to handle.
Illustration of an old-fashioned alarm bell ringing , hovering over a cell phone.
Mobile apps make managing your money a snap and mobile alerts can help protect it.
Young couple paying bills online
Online bill pay can add convenience and security to managing your routine bills.
Person folds his hands in front of their face
A bank may deny you a checking account. Here is what you can do next.
Man watering plants
Interest is the price you pay to borrow money or the cost you charge to lend money.
A little girl gets a vaccination.
Setting aside pretax dollars in an HSA can help you defray future medical costs.
Woman online banking with a tablet
How Reg. D impacts your savings account and why it pays to check with your bank.
Illustration of cash under a beach umbrella
Here’s how much $10,000 in a high-yield savings account can earn you.
Mom preparing financial paperwork at home while her child draws next to her
Single people and young families tend to have significantly less saved.
Smiling father holds smiling daughter on his lap while looking at a computer
Experian’s new savings account has a yield based on membership tier and no minimum deposit.
Whimsical illustration of a hand putting a quarter into a miniature but realistic high end safe. As if it were a piggy bank
Comparing savings rates can ensure you get the best return on your savings.
Image by GettyImages, Illustrated by Bankrate
The APY percentage shows how much an account earns per year. Here’s what you need to know.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks to reporters at a press conference.
As the economy rebounds, don’t expect the Fed’s extraordinary support to last forever.
A man pushes his bags on the departures level at Los Angeles International Airport while wearing a mask.
The worst downturn in a lifetime was also the shortest.
Friends laugh while gathered at a table eating a meal and socialization.
Here’s where the nation’s top economists see hiring, the Fed and inflation heading over the next year.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at press conference
Higher inflation and a troubled labor market could be the Fed’s nightmare scenario.
A shopper wearing a protective face mask fills a grocery cart with bottled water at a supermarket.
Higher inflation is here, but the big question is whether it’s here to stay or not.
Watering the plants
The savings account has always been a time-tested standby. Here’s why it still matters.
Woman working on her laptop from home
The longer an individual is out of a job, the more likely they are to lose skills, face discrimination from employers and see lower wages.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a press conference after an FOMC meeting.
The Fed’s patience could be challenged as the U.S. economy comes roaring back to life.
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